Hayley Matthews brilliant again, Royals beat TKR easily in WCPL

DEFENDING Women's Caribbean Premier League (WCPL) champions Barbados Royals got their second win in as many days when they defeated hosts Trinbago Knight Riders (TKR) by seven wickets in their encounter at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy, Tarouba on August 22.

In the opening game of the WCPL season on August 21, Royals just scraped past the Guyana Amazon Warriors by one wicket in a low-scoring thriller after being set a 119-run target.

Against the 2022 champs TKR, the Royals chased a 114-run target and they did so comfortably with 17 balls to spare.

Again, the Royals had their brilliant skipper Hayley Matthews to thank for their victory, as the West Indies women's captain struck an unbeaten 67 off 56 balls – her second straight unbeaten fifty in the young tournament.

Similar to her innings against the Warriors the night before, the 26-year-old Matthews paced her team's chase beautifully as she carried her bat through the innings.

Matthews hit 11 boundaries, and she oozed class throughout the Royals innings, playing a number of masterful shots through the off side.

The Royals lost Sri Lankan star Chamari Athapaththu (five) to left-arm spinner Jess Jonassen in only the second over as they slipped to ten for one. Matthews and Qiana Joseph (16 off 19 balls) steadied the chase with a 65-run partnership as they took the threat out of the TKR team.

Joseph was well caught on the boundary by Chedean Nation off veteran spinner Anisa Mohammed in the 12th over, with Aaliyah Alleyne (11) following soon after a short cameo as Barbados slipped to 88 for three in the 15th over.

There were to be no jitters for the Royals, though, as Laura Harris (14 off seven balls) joined the skipper to see their team over the line with ease.

Fittingly, Matthews scored the winning runs when she pumped Shikha Pandey to the long-on boundary at the start of the 18th over.

Opting to bowl first, the Royals had a dream start to the contest when Chinelle Henry clean-bowled Kycia Knight off the very first ball of the game. The hosts had a stop-start innings in getting to 113 for nine, and they were stuttering at 33 for four after the power play. Harshitha Samarawickrama (three), Jemimah Rodrigues (16) and Jonassen (duck) followed Knight back to the pavilion as the Royals took control of the game early.

Matthews' charges showed moments of brilliance in the field, with both Matthews and Amanda-Jade Wellington taking excellent catches to end the innings of Rodrigues and Samarawickrama. Another piece of excellence came in the eighth over when Alleyne effected a smart one-hand pick-up and throw to dismiss Nation (two) via the run out route.

At the start of the ninth over, TKR skipper Deandra Dottin (28 off 26 balls) threatened to cut loose when she struck experienced leg-spinner Afy Fletcher for a six and two fours off consecutive balls. Dottin's six was the lone one of the TKR innings, and she lofted Fletcher over long off with a lovely flow of the cricket bat.

In the following over, though, Dottin's stay at the crease came to an end when she was trapped lbw by Wellington to leave the hosts on 57 for six at the ten-over mark. The aggressive right-hander reviewed the decision, but to no avail.

With the Royals looking set to run through the TKR batting lineup, Indian middle-order batter Pandey (30 off 34 balls) and young West Indies player Zaida James (22 off 18 balls) gave the innings respectability with a 50-run partnership for the seventh wicket.

Pandey struck three boundaries in her innings before she was dismissed by Wellington (two for 14) in the 18th over to leave TKR on 107 for seven. The home team's innings stalled in the last few overs, and Matthews grabbed the wickets of James and Jahzara Claxton (one) in the penultimate over to cap a fine bowling performance for her team.

Matthews finished with figures of two for 21, with Henry grabbing two for 14.

Alleyne and Qiana Joseph took a wicket apiece.

Joseph then played her role in a calculated 65-run partnership with the brilliant Matthews to help the reigning champions get their second win to start the 2024 WCPL campaign.

TKR will hope to get their first win of the season on August 23 when they face the Warriors from 8 pm at the BLCA.

Summarised Scores:

TKR women: 113/9 from 20 overs (Shikha Pandey 30, Deandra Dottin 28; Amanda-Jade Wellington 2/14, Chinelle Henry 2/14) vs BARBADOS ROYALS WOMEN: 116/3 after 17.1 overs (Hayley Matthews 67 not out, Qiana Joseph 16; Jess Jonassen 2/21). Royals won by 7 wickets.